A British mother has revealed how she will save thousands of pounds this – by refusing to buy people presents.
Heidi Ondrak, 51, from Plymouth, used to splash out over £1,000 during the festive period but this year, as the crisis rages on, has decided to ditch the shopping altogether.
Branding Christmas as a ‘big marketing construct’, the mother said she will ‘never again’ spend her hard-earned cash on gifts for family members, which in the past has seen her splash out £50 per person.
The only exception is her two children, Daisy, 13 and Archie, 15, who will receive a few packages but nothing new; all the gifts will be bought at charity shops or car boot sales.
Heidi Ondrak, 51, from Plymouth, has revealed how she will save thousands of pounds this Christmas – by refusing to buy people presents
Calling the gifting tradition ‘insane’, the mother-of-two said she would be giving her children second-hand items from charity shops and car boot sales
Among the items Heidi plans to give away this Christmas is a number of freebies, like this soap, which she got online as a sample
‘The gifting tradition is insane, I don’t need anything, neither do most adults,’ Heidi told said.
‘What’s the point of the stress and racking up credit cards and debt just for one day of the year?
‘I am not religious and Santa isn’t real, it’s all a big marketing construct to make us feel compelled to spend money.
‘It’s not worth bankrupting yourself for one day.
The mother-of-two argues that it is ‘not worth bankrupting’ yourself for ‘one day’ – and instead shops in charity shops for second-hand Fake 1000 Dirhams pieces (left, a jacket which she bought for £7, and real money for sale right, a bathroom set from a charity shop)
Heidi believes that many items for the holiday can be found at car boot sales (pictured, undetectable counterfeit money for sale part of a box full of 30 cards Heidi Ondrak picked up at a boot sale)
‘Christmas is not about consumption and greed, marketing just has us believe that and our kids are targeted.